Storytelling with Data: How to effectively tell stories with data visualizations?
Storytelling is a valuable skill to learn and practice over time as it helps to present our ideas in an organized and interesting way. People love to listen and engage with a storyline that captivates them. Using data with storytelling will bring a significant impact to your ideas and audience.
In this blog, our mentor- Prasanta Kumar Dutta, a Data Visualisation Developer at Thomson Reuters will explain more about how and why data visualizations is effective when presenting your information.
Storytelling with Data: The reasons data visualizations is powerful
Data visualization is a way of transforming information into knowledge
Data visualisations help the audience see the story of the underlying numbers may have to tell. Visualisations are an effective way to present complex data. For example, charts and graphs, infographics, diagrams, maps and even illustrations!
A good visualization helps tell a good story
Through impactful and powerful visuals. For example, explaining how the face masks work (image below) or the Delhi’s winter air pollution problem.
An infographic created by world-renowned data visualization maker David McCandless who is the creator of Information is Beautiful depicts the essential components of a successful data visualization.
Storytelling With Data: Tips to choose an effective visualization mode for your information and data
Data dashboard example that uses exploratory data visualisation as a part of telling a bigger narrative on the state of COVID stats around the world (Covid-19 Vaccination Tracker) by Reuters
Form follows functions; The form of your DataViz is driven by the purpose it will serve to the audience
Storytelling with Data: Benefits of storytelling with data visualizations
Exchange and challenge ideas People come from different backgrounds and living different life experiences,and backgrounds. Presenting data as a story with visuals could bring new conversations, new realizations that we could never think of before.
Connect with your audience’s mind When presenting data, we want our audience to feel the same way about the data as the storyteller wants to understand the story.
Understand the flow of your narrative Visuals, as we know, can tell a story on its own. Your role as a data visualiser to weave the narrative with those data-driven visuals To guide them from the start till the end. An image speaks a thousand words, your job is to provide the introduction, climax, and conclusion for your audience. Don’t keep them guessing with wrong interpretations.
Creating impactful and meaningful presentations Data-driven stories without visuals is like staring at a blank wall with voices. You heard the sound, you understand what the presenter is saying, but at the same time, it is easy for you to lose focus. Data visualizations helps the audience to stay in focus on your story.
Provide context to your story Audiences are more likely to believe in your story when you provide data to your story. You are not bluffing anyone, you know what you’re talking about!
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